Alexandria's founded by Alexander

Alexandria's founded by Alexander the Great (by year BC): 334 Alexandria in Troia (Turkey) - 333 Alexandria at Issus/Alexandrette (Iskenderun, Turkey) - 332 Alexandria of Caria/by the Latmos (Alinda, Turkey) - 331 Alexandria Mygdoniae - 331 Alexandria (Egypt) - 330 Alexandria Ariana (Herat, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria of the Prophthasia/in Dragiana/Phrada (Farah, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria in Arachosia (Kandahar, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria in the Caucasus (Begram, Afghanistan) - 329 Alexandria of the Paropanisades (Ghazni, Afghanistan) - 329 Alexandria Eschate or Ultima (Khodjend, Tajikistan) - 329 Alexandria on the Oxus (Termez, Afghanistan) - 328 Alexandria in Margiana (Merv, Turkmenistan) - 326 Alexandria Nicaea (on the Hydaspes, India) - 326 Alexandria Bucephala (on the Hydaspes, India) - 325 Alexandria Sogdia - 325 Alexandria Oreitide - 325 Alexandria in Opiene / Alexandria on the Indus (confluence of Indus & Acesines, India) - 325 Alexandria Rambacia (Bela, Pakistan) - 325 Alexandria Xylinepolis (Patala, India) - 325 Alexandria in Carminia (Gulashkird, Iran) - 324 Alexandria-on-the-Tigris/Antiochia-in-Susiana/Charax (Spasinou Charax on the Tigris, Iraq) - ?Alexandria of Carmahle? (Kahnu)

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Sunken column finally delivered to the Temple of Apollo in Claros

As I mentioned in a previous article “The shipwreck of Kızılburun” a late Hellenistic ship sank near the promontory of Kızılburun before reaching its destination with its cargo of freshly quarried marble intended for the Temple of Apollo in Claros (about 60 kilometers from Kızılburun)

Among the many remains and artifacts, divers found eight drums for an entire ten-meter-high column and its capital in Doric style, although at that time (late 2nd or 1st century BC) builders generally preferred Ionic or Corinthian columns.

[Picture from Hurriyet Daily News]

It was a colossal task to raise the massive marble column drums, each weighing between 6.5 and 7.5 tons. A system was developed whereby nylon straps were put around the drum and then attached to heavy-duty balloons.

The column elements indicated that they were destined for a monumental construction and after serious investigations, archaeologists could link them with the nearby Temple of Apollo at Claros. When I was in Claros a few years ago, I was utterly amazed by the size of one of the drums lying in the grass and I took a picture of it, leaving my camera cover on top to show the sheer size!

By now a team of archaeologists has carried out work to determine the place of the column in the correct layout of the temple and they found that it was the sixth column. The initial idea was to move this column to the nearby museum but it was much more appropriate to put it in its rightful place. And so it happened: delivery was finally made, only 2,200 years later. 

Isn’t that exciting?

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